>> From the past

40 years ago A 24-year stal­wart of the Kyabram Fire Brigade, John Roberts is the new brigade cap­tain.

John has suc­ceeded Bob Vick, who has been the Kyabram Fire Brigade cap­tain for the past seven years.

John first joined the brigade when he was 15 and has been one of the brigade’s keen­est fire­men and com­peti­tors.

He is recog­nised as one of the brigade’s best ever and most ver­sa­tile fire­men and was a mem­ber of the teams in one of the brigade’s golden eras in com­pe­ti­tion on the late ’50s and early ’60s.

He is present coach of the brigade’s com­pet­i­tive team and last year was the brigade’s fore­man. He has also served as the brigade’s ap­pa­ra­tus of­fi­cer.

The cap­taincy change was made at the re­cent change of of­fi­cers even­ing staged by the brigade.

20 years ago LIFE is tough enough for the man on the land with­out the added pres­sure of lost stock, dam­aged fences, a drop in pro­duc­tion and a de­crease in birth rate.

“It’s past a joke,” one district farmer says as he looks over his prop­erty, which has at least three cows graz­ing with only one ear.

“Heart­break­ing,” is how an­other farmer de­scribes the dilemma.

The two lo­cal dairy farm­ers are fum­ing af­ter at­tacks on their on their cows by a pack of ma­raud­ing dogs in the Lan­caster area.

Mur­ray Maxwell, who runs some of his herd on Gary Everett’s Lan­caster prop­erty, had to have one of his Fre­sian cows put down fol­low­ing an at­tack by a pack of dogs.

Mr Maxwell said the dogs pulled the cow down by the ear, caus­ing it se­vere shock. An eaten eardrum also con­tributed to Mr Maxwell’s de­ci­sion to end the cow’s life.

Mr Everett ex­plained that the dogs chase the cow un­til it is tired out and then move in to at­tack. The lat­est at­tack on Thurs­day was not an iso­lated incident. It is the most re­cent and by far the worst at­tack on cows owned by both Mr Maxwell and Mr Everett.

At­tacks at the prop­erty be­gan about six months ago, with the at­tacks be­com­ing more fre­quent and hav­ing a greater im­pact.